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Full-time, part-time employment and life satisfaction of the elderly

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  • Chang, Hung-Hao
  • Yen, Steven T.

Abstract

There is continued interest in employment and subjective well-being among the elderly because of the increasing proportion of elderly population in the labor force. This study investigates the association between part-time and full-time employment and life satisfaction of the elderly in Taiwan. We also examine how these associations may differ across socio-demographic groups. An ordinal treatment effect model is developed to accommodate the discrete feature of the employment decision and the potential endogeneity of these two outcomes. Using a unique sample of the elderly in Taiwan, in contrast to findings for the general population of the previous studies, we find that part-time employment is significant and positively associated with life satisfaction, while elderly with full-time employment have lower life satisfaction. These results are robust across socio-demographic groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Chang, Hung-Hao & Yen, Steven T., 2011. "Full-time, part-time employment and life satisfaction of the elderly," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 815-823.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:40:y:2011:i:6:p:815-823
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2011.08.008
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Elderly; Employment; Life satisfaction; Taiwan;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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